Ale & Cheese Risotto

Thursday evening I was feeling adventurous and decided to attempt a risotto. I was pretty apprehensive because so many people always talk about how finicky they are (not to mention the drama over risotto on Hell's Kitchen). But, I had found a recipe online that looked really good. I ended up making a few changes to the recipe as well. Well, 1 1/2 hours later, my risotto was amazing. It turned out better than I had hoped for. Andrew loved it!

Ale & Cheese Risotto

1/2 medium onion, chopped finely

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp butter

2 1/2 tbsp oil (I used canola)

2 cups Arborio rice

12 oz bottle of beer (I used Yuengling)

49.5 oz can of chicken broth (I used 3 regular size cans of low sodium chicken broth)

8 oz Mexican blend cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

garlic salt to taste

fresh ground pepper to taste

Pour chicken broth into medium saucepan. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add butter & oil. Heat until butter is melted. Add onion & saute for 5 minutes or until onion is soft & translucent. Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic. Cook for 1 minute, just until fragrant.

Add rice & saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque (and making sure to coat all of the rice).

Pour in the beer & turn heat up to high until it begins to simmer.

Turn heat down to medium-low & add chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time (when liquid begins to dissolve a good bit, add another 1/2 cup & repeat this process). Repeat this process until almost all of the broth is used. The risotto should be creamy and just slightly al dente. It is very important to stir constantly throughout this process. This should take about 1 hour.

Remove from heat & stir in the cheeses, cayenne pepper and garlic salt and ground pepper to taste.